Camera



Jan. 11, 1938.

J. MlHA LYl I 2,105,256

CAMERA Filed Aug: 11, 1936 35 44 43 48 Fugil, 35 36 24 19 2 41 Z3 7 1 'I Q x ms a le e Ila/Ills INVENT OR. Joseph Mihalyl ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE pany, Jersey City, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 11, 1988, Serial No. 95,374

2 Claims. (CI. 95-44) My present invention relates. to photographic cameras and particularly to cameras provided with objective lenses adjustable for focusing and coupled range finders for indicating correct focus.

Cameras provided with range finders coupled to focusing objectives require great accuracy in their construction and must be carefully designed in order to insure at all times the required strict relation between the objective lens and the range finder. It is also important to be able at all times to view the field which the camera is capable of recording.

It is an object of my invention to provide a camera with an improved and simplified coupling arrangement between its adjustable objective lens and its range and view finders.

Another object of my invention is to provide a coupling arrangement between the focusing adjustment of the objective lens and the range and view finders such that any given focusing adjustment always imparts a predetermined adjustment in the range and view finders.

Other objects of the invention reside in the structure and arrangement of the several parts forming the camera of my invention, and will be understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section of a camera embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing the mounting structure of the view finder;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing the optical parts of the range and view finders; and,

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view partly in section showing the mechanism for actuating the focus ing sleeve of the camera shown in Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fi 1, a camera Iii has secured in its front wall ii a tubular member i2 in which is mounted a focusing sleeve H) which is rotatable in a suitable bearing provided in the member 12, such as ball bearing H. The inner end of the focusing sleeve l3 comprises 'a flange member l5 provided on its forward face with suitable gear teeth [6, through which the sleeve I3 is rotated, in a manner which will be described in connection with Fig. 4. The flange member l5 may v be integral with the sleeve I3 or secured theregage similar threads provided internally of a ring member i9, which is provided with a key 20 extending into a longitudinal key-way 2i provided in the tubular member l2, which is firmly secured to the camera wall II. This key 20 permits axial movement of the ring member ID, but holds it against rotation when the focusing sleeve |3is rotated, whereby rotation of the sleeve l3 transmits corresponding axial movement to the ring member iii in accordance with the pitch of the threaded coupling i8. The outer end of the ring I9 is adapted to receive an objective mount 22, in which is mounted any suitable objective lens 23. The objective mount 22 is preferably detachably secured to the ring it in some suitable manner, such as by screw threads 26, so that it may readily be removed to permit the attachment of lenses of other focal length which, for the reasons pointed out below, are adapted to be secured to the focusing sleeve i3 by means of screw threads 25 provided therein. It is thus seen that with the standard or normal objective mount 22 secured to the ring l9, as shown in Fig. 1, rotary movement of the focusing sleeve I3 will impart a corresponding axial movement to the objective mount 22, since it is movable with the ring 19.

Any one of the parts which is movable upon the focusing of the objective 23 may be employed for actuating the movable part or parts of a range finder with which the camera is provided, but I prefer to employ for this purpose the axial movement of the ring member l9. When the camera I0 is provided with a range finder oi. the type shown in Fig. 3, the ring i9 is provided with an upright standard 26 secured thereto in any suitable manner, as by a screw 27. The standard 26 forms a rigid support for two mirrors 28 and 29 which form the movable part of the range finder system, which will now be described in connection with Fig. 3, which shows the essential optical elements of this range finder system as comprising two spaced concave mirrors 30 and 3|, which preferably consist of two independent sections of a concave reflector having a focal length equal to the focal length of the to receive the two beams coming from the mirrors 30 and 3|, respectively, and to direct these Cal beams rearwardly along a common axis, on which is mounted an ocular comprising lenses 32 which has a focal length substantially equal to its separation from the mirrors 23 and 23. A suitable prism 33 is preferably positioned behind the ocular 32 for directing the light emerging therefrom at the proper angle for striking the eye 34 of an observer, when his eye is positioned for observing the field through the view finder, which will be described below. The range finder just described is a well known type in which the mirrors 28 and 29 provide the two adjacent fields of the split image employed for range finding purposes. as is well known.

When the sleeve I3 is rotated to focus the objective lens 23, the mirrors 28 and 29 are moved by the axial movement of the objective 23, and since the function of convergence in the range finder system is in direct proportion to the convergence function of the standard or normal objective lens 23, it follows that when the camera is focused on a target at infinity, the parallel beams falling on the range finder mirrors 30 and 3| will form at the mirrors 28 and 29 a complete image. In order to focus on a target at a short distance, the separation between the mirrors 3!! and 3! and the mirrors 28 and 29 must be increased to bring about coincidence of the two images formed thereby, and when these images are no longer mutilated, the camera objective lens will be properly focused on such nearer target.

The camera i is also provided with a suitable view finder, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which may be of the variable power type as described in my Patent No. 2,043,900. This view finder comprises a front positive lens 35, a rear eyelet lens 36 and a negative field lens 31 positioned behind the front positive lens 35 and adjustable along the axis of the view finder for varying its power to correspond to the focal length of the objective being used in the camera. The view finder is preferably mounted in the camera ID with its axis immediately above the observation opening of the range finder, so that a slight angular movement of the eye of the observer is all that is necessary to shift from the range finder to the view finder system.

As best shown in Fig. 2 the front positive lens 35 of the view finder is carried in a frame 33 which is mounted for vertical movement for compensating or accommodating parallax, which would normally be present due to the spacing of the axes of the camera lens and the view finder. The lower end of the frame 38 is provided with a suitable shoulder 39 against the underside of 'which bears the free end of a lever 40, pivoted,

at? and adapted to be rotated about the pivot 4il by means of a cam ring 42 provided on the rear face of the focusing sleeve flange I5. The cam 42 is so shaped that when the focusing sleeve I3 is rotated, the view finder lens 38 is shifted suffiicently to cause the axis of the view finder to cross the axis of the objective lens 23 at the distance for which the camera is focused.

When interchangeable lenses are employed, the negative field lens 3'! of the finder is shifted along the finder axis by rotating a suitable knob 43 which operates a swinging arm 44 through a cam 45 and a pin 45. The arm 44 engages in some suitable manner a plate member 41 which carries the negative field lens 31, and which is mounted for sliding movementon rods 48 extending between the front and rear walls of the camera. It will be understood that adjustment of the knob 43 shifts the negative field lens 31 to reduce the angular field of the view finder to correspond with the smaller field covered by a lens of longer focal length.

In Fig 4. the arrangement for imparting the rotatable movement to the focusing sleeve i3 is shown as comprising a small knurled wheel 43 mounted on a shaft 50 which is suitably journaled in parts rigidly connected to the camera body. A small portion of the periphery of the wheel 45 extends through an opening provided in the front wall ii of the camera, and preferably to one side of the camera lens, so as to be convenient for the hand of the user.

The shaft 50, to which the hand wheel 49 is secured, is provided with a small gear 52 which meshes with the gear teeth l6 provided on the front face of the fiange member l5 secured to the focusing sleeve l3. It is thus evident that rotation of the hand wheel 49 imparts angular movement to the focusing sleeve l3 which functions to focus the objective 23, to shift the finder lens 35 for parallax accommodation and to move correspondingly the range finder mirrors 23 and 25 as fully described above. It will, of course, be understood that some suitable means is provided to limit the angular movement of the sleeve i3 to its predetermined range, as is well known.

When it is desired to employ lenses other than the standard lens 23, such lenses will be secured directly to the rotatable focusing sleeve l3 in the manner and for the purpose described in my copending application Serial No. 95,375 filed concurrently herewith. Also, it will be understood that the particular type of range finder illustrated and described may be replaced with some other type of range finder, such as the relatively long base type shown in Fig. 4 of my above-mentioned copending application.

From the above description it will be apparent that my invention makes possible a compactly arranged and accurately functioning camera construction in which the small number of parts employed for performing with precision the several adjustments involved reduces to a minimum the number of parts requiring highly skilled hand labor in manufacture.

Although, for the purpose of making my invention clear, I have described it in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, I desire it to be understood that I do natwish to be limited thereby, but desire to cover the many modifications which will be obvious to those skilled in the art, which modifications fall within the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a camera, a sleeve, mounting means supporting the sleeve for rotation on its axis but holding it against axial movement, an outer tubular member surrounding the sleeve and having a screw connection therewith, an axial extending key-way in said mounting means, a key on the outer tubular member slidably engaging said keyway to hold said tubular member against rotation, a. lens detachably fastened to said tubular member, means for rotating said sleeve relative to the mounting means, whereby axial movement is imparted through the screw connection to said tubular member and the lens, a range finder including a movable optical member connected to said tubular member, a view finder adjustable to alter its field of view, and means for adjusting the view finder in accordance with the rotational movement of said sleeve to compe sate for parallax between said finder and the lens. I

2. In a photographic camera,a housing having a front wall, an annular shell secured in the front wall, a rotatable focusing sleeve journaled in the shell and extending beyond the rear end of the shell in the housing, the forward portion of said sleeve having an external diameter smaller than the internal diameter of the forward portion of said shell, thereby providing an annular recess, a tubular member internally threaded to said sleeve and externally keyed to said shell for on the forward end of said tubular member for 10 releasably holding a lens mount.

JOSEPH MIHALYI. 

